Black and White Ribbon Worm.

[iamwhatiam52]

I just got a 2 ft long, 3/8 inch thick ribbon worm. It has alternating black and white bands and is just the coolest thing ever. Can't post a pic till late tonight.
The people at the LFS where I got it have had it in a 30 gal frag tank for 2 months and have no clue what it eats. They say it burries itself in the sand sometimes, but mostly stays curled up against a rock.
It will live in a remote section of my sump untill I find out what to feed it and how to care for it. I know most are predatory.

So far no luck finding it in a search.

Anyone know what it eats?

Leslie, do you wrangle unsegmented worms?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

pic

pic

Awful picture but it's all I've got for now.

 

[Sk8r]

Neat. You sure it's a worm and not an eel?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Yup.
Definitely a ribbon worm. I'll try to post a better pic in a few days.
It was in a frag tank at the store with no problem so it is safe for corald, but some ribbons eat worms. There are plenty of bristle worms in my reef or I can get sandworms at a bait shop to feed it, but I'm concerned it may eat my tube worms.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

bump

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Looks like it is Basiodiscus mexicanus (might be spelled Baseodiscus) pictured in the attached link. Still can't find out what it eats.



http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/nemertini/nemertini.html

 

[LeslieH]

Yes, I wrangle flatties if there aren't any real worms around

It certainly does look like B. mexicanus but that species is found from Baja California to the Galapagos. Think it's likely that your LFS is getting live rock or frags from the eastern Pacific?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Very likely.
The person I spoke to did not know if it came in deliberately or as a hitch-hiker. Probably a bit large to be a hitch-hiker.

I'm addicted to oddball beasts and had to buy it.

Now how do I care for it???????????????????????

I'm trying to post the question on a Nemertines forum (http://nemertes.si.edu/mod/forum/) but I'm having trouble with the site.

 

[LeslieH]

Write directly to Jon Noremberg, the guy in charge of the Smithsonian site you linked. Jon's the guy I send my questions to & he's always happy to talk nemers. His email is on the web site.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Thanks. Will do.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Ribbon worm has grown to 5 feet!

Ribbon worm has grown to 5 feet!

It has been a year since I got this worm and I still do not know what it eats. I did write directly to Jon Noremberg who said a picture of the head would be needed to ID it but I still have not gotten a picture to verify identity. It hides all the time and I rarely get a peek at it. Last night was the first time since buying it that I saw the whole worm fully extended. It was slithering around the perimeter of a 22 inch long tank and made more than a full circle. I know it is at least 5 feet long, but is no thicker than when I first got it. Curled up it makes a lump just over 2 inches across.

I would like to put it in a tank with less rock and coral so I can observe it more, but am reluctant to change it's living conditions since it seems to be thriving. I've tried feeding it everything I can think of, live and prepared, but have never seen it eat. Nothing ever seems to be missing from the tank which has tube worms, tiny shrimp, sps, worm rock, softies, mushrooms, sun corals, snails and a few small gobies.

I love this worm. It's just way too cool.

Where can I get more?